How a P.E.I. family learned the truth about their grandfather's wartime past

Andy Batchilder and his father Paul took an emotional journey through France and England this past spring, learning the true story of their father and grandfather's experience in the Second World War. 

Sgt. Lawrence Sylvester Batchilder was a member of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. 

He died in 1966 at age 56, before his grandchildren were born. They were told little about him except that he had been severely wounded, and that he came home and worked at the jail in Georgetown, P.E.I., for years. 

"Most significantly, we knew he was a bit of a tyrant, we knew he was a drinker," Melissa Batchilder, Andy's sister, told CBC Radio: Mainstreet P.E.I.'s Matt Rainnie.

"So we didn't really talk about him much." 

But last year Andy began delving into their grandfather's military service records, and believed there was more to Sgt. Batchilder's wartime past than just "a couple of weeks in France." 

'Shone a light on his unknown valour'

What they discovered on the trip was that during the Battle of Normandy, Sgt. Batchilder had been much more than the ill-tempered, hard-drinking man he was when he returned — he was a hero. 

Melissa said they finally came to understand how he became the way he was.

"Through coming to understand what happened to my grandfather in that field near Tilly, France, we were able to put a human face on him," she said. 

"It shone a light on his unknown valour." 

They discovered Sgt. Batchilder had been shot by a German sniper, leaving him with five wounds through the shoulders, neck and head. 

He lay for 24 hours in a field before he was discovered. Allied troops came through and spotted him on the side of the road, Melissa said.

"He was able to alert them that if they were to continue on, there were German tanks hiding out in wait for them," she said. Perhaps doubting the Germans were still there, a few troops did test the information by proceeding along the route and were killed, she said.

"But he saved the lives of dozens of other soldiers that day — it was July 25, 1944," she said. 

She said the family now believes that like many soldiers, Sgt. Batchilder suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Families including theirs had struggled to understand their loved ones changed demeanour in the wake of the wars, without any frame of reference or support for PTSD.

'Story wrote itself'

The story was so compelling that Melissa felt moved to write a play about it, called At the Dog Leg Turn of the Road. It will be on stage at the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown Saturday night.

"The story wrote itself," said Melissa, who jokes that she just "added the punctuation" to the tale.

The play is a multi-media experience incorporating video of the men's trip to Europe, along with photos and music. 

Her father Paul's narration describes what led to the journey, how it transformed he and his son as people, and how it enriched their relationship with one another and with the memory of Sgt. Batchilder. Veteran P.E.I. actor Hank Stinson plays the role of Paul. 

It takes the audience on their travels to the field and the spot where they believe Sgt. Batchilder lay wounded.

"The piece that is probably most poignant is when my father reaches that field in France, the transformation that happens for him," Meilssa explains. On that day Paul, who is 79, just sat in the field for a long time, thinking about his father and what he went through. 

"To uncover the humanity of your own father at that point in your life — I know it's been a really meaningful experience for our father," she said. 

'Sacred production for us'

The play didn't have to look far for a venue — Haley Zavo is one of Melissa and Andy's siblings, and is the executive director at the Kings Playhouse.

"It certainly feels like a kind of sacred production for us," she said. "To have this story, that's so personal, and helps tell some of our family's story, is so precious."  

She said the playhouse aims to tell local stories, so this production fits well. 

Their other siblings are excited to share the family's story with others, she added. The play will be on stage Saturday night Nov. 9 at 7:30. 

"To realize there's so much more depth in a person to whom you are connected is just so beautiful," she said. 

As people hear about the play, Melissa said they are sharing stories about their relatives who suffered from what at the time was called "shell shock."  

"Everyone had a grandfather, or an uncle, or in more current times, a mother, who came home from war and struggled," she said. 

The family plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the show to Brave and Broken, a P.E.I. organization that offers support to veterans and first responders. 

More P.E.I. news